Writing the
Argumentative Essay
CHOOSING A TOPIC
To begin an argumentative/persuasive
essay, you must first have an opinion you
want others to share.
Topic Examples
Should legal immigration be stopped?
Should dying people be kept on life
support?
Should tobacco products be banned?
Should the Internet be censored?
Should school prayer be allowed?
Should music lyrics be censored?
Should parents of teen vandals be held
responsible for their child's damage?
Should research on cloning be
discontinued?
Should a rookie salary cap be enforced
in pro sports?
RESEARCH
To be valid, an opinion or point of view must
be supported by facts and information.
Once you know what you will
write about, you will need to do
research on the topic.
You can research by interviewing people,
or by reading newspapers, books, journals,
or internet articles.
THESIS STATEMENT
The thesis statement:
 states your position on the topic
 sets up the structure for the paper.
SUPPORT THE THESIS
Support your thesis with three reasons.
 Write down each of the three main reasons
that support your belief on a separate piece of
paper.
 These are your arguments.
COUNTER-ARGUMENTS
 Every controversial issue has two sides.
 Once you can support your position with
research, you need to explore what others
think.
PREPARING YOUR
ARGUMENTS
 Look at the three main reasons for
your opinion.
 What objections would others have to
each of your reasons?
 Write these down under each of your
reasons. Now you have three arguments
and three counter-arguments.
ANSWERING
COUNTER-ARGUMENTS
• Write your answers down under the
counter-arguments.
• Now you have the raw material for each
paragraph of the argumentative essay.
THE AUDIENCE
When introducing the topic, think about the
audience first.
 How much does the audience know about the
topic?
 Is the audience likely to be friendly
or hostile to your position?
 How can you “hook” the audience’s
attention?
INTRODUCTION
PARAGRAPH
 The first sentence is a general statement,
designed to attract the reader’s attention.
 Second and perhaps third sentences
narrow the idea down to your specific idea.
 The last sentence in the introduction
must be your thesis.
INTRODUCTION
Think of the introduction as having a funnel
shape:
General statement (hook)
Specific information
Thesis
Example of Intro
Paragraph
More people die driving on Greek
roads in a single year than all the U.S.
soldiers killed in Iraq since the fighting
began. The road conditions and the
mentality that leads to this
unnecessary and avoidable loss of life
should be changed.
Fact to support position
and a good hook.
The authors position or
Thesis Statement.
BUILDING BODY
PARAGRAPHS
The first topic sentence of the
first paragraph will be the first
reason that supports your
position.
You may even wish to begin the sentence
with the word first to focus the reader’s
attention on its importance.
FIRST BODY
PARAGRAPH
Write a topic sentence and three details
that support the reason you believe what
you believe.
Repeat the process until you have
three paragraphs with
three different reasons and
three details to support each reason.
Counter Arguments:
Rebuttals
Research what people opposed to your
point of view believe. Write down three
counter-arguments to your position.
Now, address those arguments in a
paragraph explaining why your position is a
better one.
BUILDING
PARAGRAPHS
The final sentence in each
paragraph should sum up and
make a transition to the main
idea of the next paragraph.
Concluding Paragraph
• Indicate in the conclusion that you have
shown the thesis statement to be true.
• Do not include any new information in a
conclusion. If you have not mentioned
something yet in the paper, it is now too
late.
• If you can’t imagine dropping the mic
after your final sentence, your
conclusion needs to be stronger!
What is not effective
• Saying the opposing viewpoint is “stupid.”
Good essays are clear, calm and factual.
Prove it instead.
• Saying negative things about groups or
individuals that have different view points.
This does not support your position.
Instead, it makes your own argument seem
shaky.
How many is that?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Intro Paragraph
Body Paragraph 1
Body Paragraph 2
Body Paragraph 3
Rebuttal Paragraph
Conclusion Paragraph
Reflecting on
Your Paper
 Are you happy with what you’ve written?
 Have you made a convincing case for
your position?
 Is it clear that research supports your
position?
 Have you shown that you understand the
objections to your position?
Is it clear that your position still
outweighs the possible objections?